Q: Do you love Him(Jesus)? Let's load up this page and tell Jesus how much we love Him.
A: The Bible says that Jesus, "made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness (Phil. 2:7)." Jesus made himself nothing. We, humans, are nothing! Is that not a humbling statement? How many of us get prideful over our supposed accomplishments in life? In, turn, we tend to believe we are great in God's eyes or look down on others because of them. But, for Jesus to become like man, who is nothing in comparison, shows just how much God loves us. What else can we do, but say "thank you, Jesus"? We love Jesus because He first loved us. We are only able to love others because He showed us what love is. Our spouses, friends, family, pets, etc cannot give us this type of love because they don't have it to give. The Psalmist asked, " what is man that you are mindful of him...(Psalm 8:4)?" Jesus did for us what we cannot do for ourselves so that, through faith in Him, He could bring us to God. For that I am eternally thankful. I love you Jesus!
Q: God helps those who help "themselves"..IS THIS A TRUE STATEMENT?
A: No. This popular sentiment is not biblically based. If we could help ourselves then there would have been no need for Jesus to have come to save us. Furthermore, it implies that God is a responder to us. Besides, what is it we our helping ourselves with? The statement is so open ended that you can fill in just about anything you want and then claim God is going to assist you. God initiates and we respond. We didn't ask Him to send Jesus to live a perfect life, die for us and be resurrected. But, we do respond to this loving act through faith. God's love towards us is not conditional on what we do. God is faithful, not us. His power is revealed in our weakness, not our strength. He never leaves us nor forsakes us even if we fail. Paul said he could do all things through Christ who strengthens him. This means that in spite of the highs and lows of life, God is there with us through them all. We must rest from "helping ourselves" and let God work in us to produce His fruit through us!
Q: YOU"(Christians) are "Justified"..but why are You feeling " Guilty"?
A: If a Christian is feeling guilty it is probably because he has "forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins (2 Pet. 1:9)." Guilt comes from the devil because he is the "accuser of our brothers." Every time you sin Satan wants you believing that Jesus didn't take that sin away at the Cross. He runs up to God saying, "look at what they just did." And God replies each time, "It is finished (John 19:30)." Christians for 2,000 years have been paralyzed by not knowing that "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more (Heb. 10:17)." This leads to false beliefs like loss of salvation, losing fellowship with God or something else. God is reconciled to you because of what Christ did on the cross. You ARE forgiven even before you sin. Your sins do not separate you from God. God has cleansed us from our guilty conscience (Heb 10:22). Put away your short accounts, confession booths, etc. Be reconciled to God!
Q: Salvation is "Free" but what will it "Cost" you?
A: When my mom was dying from cancer I did things for her I never thought I would have to do. I fed her, gave her medicine and cleaned up after her. Some thought it was my way of giving back to her for all she did for me. No, it was my way of thanking her for all she did for me my entire life. I couldn't pay her back. I gave up my time, my money, many things to minister to her needs. My mom dedicated her entire life to me and my family without us asking her to do so. So it is with Jesus. Salvation is free to me, but it cost Jesus His life. In return, I live a life of thankfulness serving Him as He lives His life through me. I am doing things for Him that I never thought I would do. I find myself giving up my time, my treasure and my talent in order to advance the Kingdom. It has cost me time with, and a degree of acceptance from, my friends and family. I realize now what is important. It wasn't easy, but I didn't care what it cost to thank mom. I don't care what is cost me to thank Jesus.
Q: The bible says don't be "conformed" to this world..What does that mean? ..And how do we(Christians) apply that statement to our life?
A: Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." This follows verse 1 which tells us to be "living sacrifices." A Christian becomes a living sacrifice by resting from their self-righteous works and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide them from within. This only happens when we realize all that we have been given by God through faith in Christ. Therefore, we no longer look for love, acceptance, meaning and purpose to life from the world, because all the world has to offer can only be received through some form of sin. We renew our minds through the continual process of discovering the inheritance we have received from God through the death of Jesus Christ. The byproduct is total dependence on God as we realize how much His love satisfies the deepest desires of our heart. In turn, we are able to serve others in love because we aren't looking for them to give to us what they do not have to offer.
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